1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to vacuum mold making and casting equipment for use in connection with the production of molds and castings for hobbyists and sculptors. The vacuum mold making and casting equipment has particular utility in connection with providing improved results when casting limited numbers of small parts in polyurethane.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Vacuum mold making and casting equipment is desirable for producing a higher quality mold when casting small parts in polyurethane. Specifically, this equipment is aimed at minimizing entrapped air within such parts by applying suction to create a vacuum. The air could be evacuated at several stages of the process. Air, which is introduced in the mixing process of the molding compound, could be removed by placing an airtight lid on the mixing container and evacuating the air with a suction pump. A hose would run from the suction pump to a seal in the lid. Air that is introduced during the pouring of the polyurethane resin compound could similarly be evacuated by placing the castings in a chamber with an airtight lid and repeating the aforementioned process for air removal. This lid would form the tops and sides of the casting chamber, leaving plenty of room on the base of the chamber for pouring and manipulating the casts.
The use of vacuum creating devices is known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,765,608 to Hanns J. Kristen discloses a hand held vacuum device. However, the Kristen ""608 patent deals with drawing liquids from food as opposed to air from a molding compound, and it has the further drawback of not providing a container for mixing or casting the compound. Although the Kristen ""608 might be adapted for use to remove air from a casting once it is poured, it does not provide a chamber used first for mixing the compound and subsequently for removing the air from this mixture.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,427 to Maina Germano discloses a suction device to create a vacuum in containers that is useful in food preservation. However, the Germano ""427 patent does not provide for either a mixing or a casting chamber. Furthermore, the Germano ""427 device can only be used with containers which have a specific valve suited for this device, such containers being suited for food storage and not shaped for mixing casting compounds, pouring castings, or manipulating castings or molds.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,051,971 to Piergiorgio Saleri and Sergio Saleri discloses a home use seal container for food vacuum storage that is used for food storage and preservation. However, the Saleri et al ""971 patent does not provide a container that is suitable for mixing a casting compound, and similarly does not provide for a container that is suitable for pouring the castings. The Saleri et al ""971 device would require that all work in pouring the casting be done within a cylindrical container, not allowing room for manipulation of the castings.
Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 6,116,772 to Ellen V. DiGiacomo, James R. DiGiacomo, Christopher R. Johnson, and Rita J. Johnson discloses a disposable bowl and spatula for facilitating the mixing of ingredients in a medical environment. While the DiGiacomo et al ""772 device provides a disposable means for mixing compounds, it is not sturdy enough for the mixing of molding compounds and does not provide a base within which to place the bowl for added stability during the mixing process. Furthermore, the DiGiacomo et al ""772 device does not provide a means to seal the bowl or evacuate any entrapped air within the contained mixture.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,121,590 to Gregory P. Scanlon discloses a vacuum packing apparatus for evacuating and sealing containers of perishable foods. However, the Scanlon ""590 patent does not provide for either a mixing or a casting chamber. Furthermore, the Scanlon ""590 device can only be used with containers which have a specific valve suited for this device, such containers being typically cylindrically shaped and suited for food storage and not shaped for mixing casting compounds, pouring castings, or manipulating castings or molds.
Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. Des. 326,663 to Jin S. Kim discloses an ornamental design for a vacuum food container. However, the Kim ""663 patent is for a refrigerator/freezer type device, and has the additional deficiency of not being portable or adaptable to different containers. Additionally, the Kim ""663 device does not provide a mixing chamber for a casting compound, nor does it provide a chamber for pouring and manipulating the casts.
While the above-described devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe vacuum mold making and casting equipment that allows a chamber for mixing the modeling compound and evacuating the trapped air from the mixture as well as a chamber for pouring the casts and evacuating the trapped air a second time. The Kristen ""608, Germano ""427, Saleri et al ""971, Scanlon ""590, and Kim ""663 patents make no provision for a container which is shaped with a hemispherical bottom and lends itself to mixing casting compounds. Additionally, none these patents provide for a support stand or a mixing spatula for aiding in the mixing process. While the DiGiacomo et al ""772 patent provides for both a mixing bowl and a spatula, these devices are too flimsy for use with a denser material such as those used in making molds. Furthermore, the Kristen ""608, Germano ""427, Saleri et al ""971, and Scanlon ""590 patents rely on specific containers that are typically cylindrically shaped with the lids fitting on the top of the cylinder. This configuration does not allow room for pouring or manipulating castings. Finally, the Kim ""663 patent does not provide for portability of the device.
Therefore, a need exists for new and improved vacuum mold making and casting equipment that can be used to minimize the amount of air trapped within molds and figures cast in polyurethane. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need. In this respect, the vacuum mold making and casting equipment according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of improving the quality of molds and figures by providing a comprehensive and easy to use set of equipment for mixing and casting resin compounds and eliminating trapped air in the resulting molds and figures.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of vacuum mold making and casting equipment now present in the prior art, the present invention provides an improved set of vacuum mold making and casting equipment, and overcomes the abovementioned disadvantages and drawbacks of the prior art. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide new and improved mold making and casting equipment which has all the advantages of the prior art mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in mold making and casting equipment which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by the prior art, either alone or in any combination thereof.
To attain this, the present invention essentially comprises a mixing chamber and a casting chamber. The mixing chamber essentially comprises a container, a lid with a gasket along the lower rim which forms an airtight seal with the mixing container, a stand in which the container can be placed, and a suction pump which is connected to the mixing container through flexible tubing attached at a circular seal on the top of the lid. The casting chamber essentially comprises a base upon which the castings can be placed, a lid which forms the top and sides of the chamber, and a connector on top of the lid which can be used to attach the flexible tubing and suction pump to the casting chamber.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated.
The invention may also include a mixing wand shaped to result in a more uniform mixture of the components in the compound. Consideration has also been given to a disposable set of mixing containers with a graduation scale marked on the side. Furthermore, a cylindrical and a rectangular embodiment of the casting chamber will be discussed. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims attached.
Numerous objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description of presently preferred, but nonetheless illustrative, embodiments of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In this respect, before explaining the current embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of descriptions and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide new and improved vacuum mold making and casting equipment that has all of the advantages of the prior art vacuum mold making and casting equipment and none of the disadvantages.
It is another object of the present invention to provide new and improved vacuum mold making and casting equipment that may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide new and improved vacuum mold making and casting equipment that has a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such vacuum mold making and casting equipment economically available to the buying public.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide new vacuum mold making and casting equipment that provides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith.
Even still another object of the present invention is to provide vacuum mold making and casting equipment for removing entrapped air when producing castings of such materials as polyurethane. This produces a higher quality casting and reduces the scrappage rate associated with this process.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a portable, disposable, and economically feasible mixing chamber for mold making wherein entrapped air can be removed after the molding compound has been mixed.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a portable and economically feasible casting chamber for mold making wherein entrapped air can be removed after the castings have been poured.
Lastly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved mixing wand for use with the mixing chamber which facilitates the mixing process and results in a more uniform distribution of the components in the molding compound.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty that characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.